


Hiding the Bodies

by Ceares



Category: Leverage
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-28 01:32:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/668748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grifters on vacation</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hiding the Bodies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alinaandalion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alinaandalion/gifts).



> Thanks so much to Denyce for once again rescuing my betaless self and making this so much better. Thanks to Felicia for sticking with me through fandoms not her own.

It was a gorgeous day. The sky was blue, and below, the sea was bluer and the sand was white and dotted with firm, golden bodies. If only she wasn’t on vacation...ah well. Tara looked away from the view with a sigh and back to the lump under the sheets of their very expensive hotel room. A vacation she was supposed to be enjoying! She stepped from the balcony back into the room with determination.

“Alright, that’s it! Get up!”

Sophie moaned and waved her away without ever coming out from under the covers. One hand blindly fumbled along the other side of the bed, grabbing a pillow and pulling it over her sheet-covered head for good measure.

Tara rolled her eyes and snatched the pillow off Sophie’s head. She gave her a push, rolling her off the bed and onto the floor. “We’ve been here three days and all you’ve done is mope around and whine.”

Sophie hit the floor with an umph! and a loud groan of pain. She sat up, snatching the, now tangled, covers off her head and glaring at Tara. “You bitch! I can’t believe you did that. I’m an invalid.”

“Oh please, you’ve been fine for weeks. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re off the pain pills.” She crossed her arms and stared down at her friend, ignoring the continued glare from sharp brown eyes. “Now get up and get dressed.”

 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

Tara stood on the balcony while Sophie showered and dressed, enjoying the warm sun and watching the tourists walk by, guessing their net value out of habit. She turned around when the bathroom door opened, watching as Sophie started dressing. “We’re on vacation so you have two choices--shopping or” she waggled her brows suggestively “we find some lovely young things and use their bodies mercilessly.”

Sophie paused with her blouse half on, thinking for a moment. “Definitely shopping.”

Her tone stopped Tara dead. There wasn’t even a hint of regret at her choice. It was worse than she thought. She stuck her head back through the sliding glass doors. “Oh my God! You’re pining aren’t you?”

Sophie made a dismissive motion with her hand and went back to getting dressed. “I’m not pining, Victorian maidens _pine_. I’m just...taking a moment.”

Tara noticed Sophie made a point of stopping to make eye contact, which meant she didn’t want Tara to think she was lying which of course meant she was lying. Tara nodded, injecting her voice with just enough ‘you poor thing’ attitude to drive Soph up the wall. “I see. So I guess that means that I’m going solo on all the hot bods and fat pockets of Saint Tropez.”

The glare was back. “I didn’t say that.”

Tara swallowed her grin, glad to see at least the moping was over. “Good! Get beautiful and let’s get going.” Sophie had started to worry her. She’d recovered well enough from the gunshot wound, but the joie de vivre was missing. Sophie had violated one of the major rules of grifting--never get your emotions involved. And this Nathan Ford guy wasn’t even a mark, which would be somewhat understandable, he was a cop or as good as.

“What I don’t get is what you see in this guy. You could have practically anybody you wanted, but this one--he’s married, he’s a citizen and he shot you, Soph!”

Sophie shook her head, mouth quirked in a wistful smile. “No, Nate is special. “ She grabbed her purse and her sunglasses. “I offered him a cut, I offered him _me_. Most guys would take the money or they’d take the sex, or both, you know that. Not Nathan Ford. He’s one of the few truly decent men I’ve ever met.” She grinned wickedly and slid on her glasses. “Plus he’s delicious.”

 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

As a general rule, they didn’t grift ‘worker bees’ as Sophie called them--commission workers and cashiers and the like, who’d get whatever went missing taken out of their checks. It was one of the similarities that had drawn Tara to Sophie when they’d first met, bumping heads over the same target. Tara had met other grifters in similar circumstances and it usually wasn’t pretty. Sophie though, handled everything with class. Tara liked that about her. They both wound up pulling out of the job. The guy, Vincent Adler, pushed Tara’s danger button hard. The more information she’d gotten, the more wary she’d become and she’d given Sophie the heads up as a courtesy. The fact that Sophie was smart enough to heed the advice was another reason Tara liked her.

Now though, Soph plowed through the stores like she was trying to prove something, or take her mind off something. Both of which were probably true.

Tara stopped and re-adjusted her bags. “Hey! At least lets go back to the hotel and drop this stuff off.”

Sophie had no trouble managing her own bags as she turned around and raised a brow at Tara. “Oh, who’s a whiner now? You were the one insisting on this. Don’t _bitch_ because you can’t handle it.”

“Hello! F.B.I. training here, I think I can handle a little shopping.”

Sophie’s eyes narrowed with challenge and a shark sharp smile graced her mouth and Tara realized she probably should have conceded. Two hours later she was sure of it. She would gladly swallow a little pride to be able to still walk in the morning. An hour after that, she dropped her bags on the sidewalk and pulled out her cell phone, calling the hotel to send a car for them. “That’s it! I’m done. I give in.”

Sophie turned a puzzled expression to her. “But we haven’t even started on the shoes and purses yet.”

Tara felt her stomach drop and she actually shuddered at that. “No more, please!”

Sophie stared at her silently a moment longer, then she smirked. “Finally! I thought I’d have to do this all night. ”

Evil. Nothing but pure evil. “Oh my God! I’m gonna kill you. Ten stores in five hours, Soph!” Tara had already slipped off her shoes and tucked them in her bag. She wiggled sore toes against the warm cobblestones in relief.

“Well, you have to remember, shopping was bred into my bones, my dear.”

“Yeah, well the way you shop, they must be made from adamantium.” The car arrived and they slid in gratefully while the driver loaded their bags in the trunk. Tara twisted in the seat till her back was to the door and slid her legs onto Sophie’s lap.

“Look at my poor feet! You, owe me a very expensive dinner.”

Sophie rolled her eyes at the same time as she dug strong fingers into Tara’s instep. Tara closed her eyes and barely stifled a moan as the pain slid into pleasure. Maybe she wouldn’t kill Sophie after all.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

After dinner they hit the beach, stretching out with books in the waning sun as the evening beach-goers milled around them.

An hour or so later, Sophie slipped the bookmark into her book and tossed it onto the sand. “Alright, that’s it! I can’t take it anymore.”

Tara closed her own book in relief. “Oh my God! Please tell me you’re as bored as I am.”

“ _More_.”

“So can we renegotiate the no work clause?”

“Gladly.”

Tara tapped her lip thoughtfully with one nail. “Though, I suppose it doesn’t have to be _work_.”

“Hmm. Grifting but not work. What on earth could fulfill that criteria?”

She had already started grinning and Tara knew that Sophie knew what she was going for. Tara grinned back. “There’s only one thing for it.”

Sophie raised a brow. “Last grifter standing?”

“Absolutely!”

Sophie rubbed her hands together, practically bouncing off her lounger. “Same rules?”

Tara nodded. She had been as considerate as she could due to Sophie’s injury but _this_ was the way to enjoy a vacation. “Twenty-four hours. Highest value on the table at the end is the winner.”

“What are the stakes?”

“I win, you give me the David.”

Sophie pouted for a moment, then her eyes narrowed with determination. “Fine, but if I win, I get the Colt.”

Tara grimaced. If she knew exactly where to hit at Sophie, the other grifter returned the favor with ease. They had both picked items that held as much sentimental value as monetary. Tara held out a hand. “Deal.”

Sophie dropped Tara’s hand and gathered her things. She stood up, shook her hair out and slipped dark glasses on, smiling wickedly. “And, we’re off.”

She was gone down the beach before Tara could gather her own things. About a hundred feet down, she dropped her bag from underneath her towel and walked on, seemingly oblivious until the balding, slightly overweight gentleman whose feet it happened to fall at, stumbled over himself to catch up with her and return it. Then she stopped and smiled at him in a way that had him blushing hard enough for Tara to see it from where she was.

She knew Sophie had been checking out potential marks the whole time they’d been laying out there, the same way she had. Tara shook her head, grinning. It was so much fun watching Sophie work, she had to remind herself she was on the clock. They were so different in style. Being tall, blonde and big breasted gave you only so many ways to approach life, and Tara had picked head-on, in your face. Sophie though, Soph was all subtlety and nuance; big, dark, innocent eyes, sly smiles and flirty glances, and she was brilliant at it.

In the end, Tara was so glad to see Sophie genuinely having a good time that she only winced a little when she slid the box with the colt over. She knew Sophie would take care of it, just like she would have taken care of the David if she’d won it. The truth was, she might not exactly have brought her A game to the table this time, but after all, what were friends for?

 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

Even pre-dawn, the airport was teeming with people and noise. Both Tara and Sophie flinched at a loud clang and a broken off curse, then grinned at each other. Sophie had told her there was no reason to get out of bed at ass o’clock just to see her off, but Tara was still a little worried about Sophie, even though she wouldn’t say it--even though Sophie would swear everything was fine if she did.

They watched the porter load Sophie’s bags on the trolley silently. Goodbyes always sucked but Tara especially hated for Sophie to take off still ‘in a mood’ as Sophie would phrase it. “I wish you’d stay longer.” Tara was staying to work a promising mark she’d tagged while they were playing

“I’m fine, Tara. Besides, I don’t want to interfere with your score.”

Tara waved her hand dismissively. Sophie knew better than that. “You know better than that.”

Sophie nodded, expression suddenly solemn. “I do. And thank you, for everything. I know you don’t understand it.”

Tara pulled Sophie in for a hug. She didn’t, not really because she’d never felt that way about anybody. At times like this, she was glad. “The heart wants what it wants. Just be careful okay?”

The smile Sophie gave her was a little broken. “I will. As a matter of fact, I’m thinking of concentrating on my acting for a while. Maybe see what it’s like to be a citizen again.”

Acting made Sophie happy and anything that made Sophie happy, made Tara happy for her. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t make it a point to be on the other side of the world whenever Sophie actually found a gig. “That’s great! And promise you’ll call if you need anything.”

This time the smile was genuine, and full of affection. “Always.”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

“Wait! Wait. That is absolutely not how it happened.” Sophie sat her drink down and shook her head. “Those are blatant lies! There was no whinging, or moping and especially no pining.” She pointed a finger at Tara. “And you did not _let_ me win. I won fair and square and I’m keeping the Colt.”

Tara took a sip of her own drink. The truth was after so many years she couldn’t really remember all the details. It made a good story though and there was still a chance she’d get the Colt back. She waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever. It all turned out okay.”

Sophie smiled happily. “Yep.”

“I still don’t see the appeal. ” She shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, Nate you’re a good guy but you’re too high maintenance.”

Nate shrugged, downed his own drink and stepped behind the bar to pour another. “Oh, please. Don’t spare my feelings.”

“Hey, I lie for a living, but I don’t lie to my friends.” She looked at Sophie and they both giggled. “Much.”

Nate smiled crookedly and Tara could admit Soph was right about one thing. He was a bit delicious.

He held up his glass in a toast. “Well then, here’s to friendship.”

Their glasses clinked and Tara smiled “To friendship.”


End file.
